Dr. W.C. Wightman House

Wayne, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Heritage registerNational Register of Historic Places↗

Built in 1900 in Wayne, Nebraska, the Dr. W. C. Wightman House exemplifies the Shingle Style in a vernacular mode suited to the Great Plains. The two-and-a-half-story residence features shingled upper floors contrasting with a clapboarded first story, a large wraparound porch spanning two sides, and characteristic period details including Palladian windows in the gables, an elaborate wood-paneled entry hall with window seat and fireplace, a winding staircase, and parquette flooring. Originally built for Dr. Wightman, a Union Pacific Railroad physician, the house was sold to Rollie W. Ley in 1912 and subsequently became known by both owners' names. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, it later served as the Wayne County Museum and represents a notable adaptation of Eastern architectural fashion to Midwestern taste and materials.